{"id":455980,"date":"2020-12-18T13:50:01","date_gmt":"2020-12-18T18:50:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gigisplayhouse.org\/newyork\/?p=455980"},"modified":"2020-12-18T13:55:53","modified_gmt":"2020-12-18T18:55:53","slug":"volunteer-spotlight-puja-thomas","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gigisplayhouse.org\/newyork\/volunteer-spotlight-puja-thomas\/","title":{"rendered":"Volunteer Spotlight: Puja Thomas"},"content":{"rendered":"

Today, we would like to spotlight the incredible <\/span>GiGi\u2019s<\/span>\u00a0Playhouse NYC volunteer<\/span>\u00a0and Associate Board Member<\/span>, Puja Thomas.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>Puja\u2019s warmth and kindness are contagious. We encourage our adult community to RSVP for <\/span>Gratitude<\/span> Art Committee on Wednesdays at 11AM EST to say hello to Puja and make some incredible art!<\/span>\u00a0We hope you enjoy getting to know Puja through the below Q&A.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

How and when did you first get involved with\u00a0<\/span><\/i><\/b>GiGi\u2019s<\/span><\/i><\/b>\u00a0Playhouse NYC?<\/span><\/i><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

I first got involved with\u00a0<\/span>Gi<\/span>G<\/span>i\u2019s<\/span>\u00a0Playhouse\u00a0<\/span>NYC\u00a0<\/span>when I joined the Associate Board in February<\/span>\u00a0of\u00a0<\/span>\u00a02019.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Why did you decide to volunteer with\u00a0<\/span><\/i><\/b>GiGi\u2019s<\/span><\/i><\/b>\u00a0NYC?<\/span><\/i><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Having a sibling with a disability has changed my world in so many ways; I\u2019ve come to understand that the challenge that\u2019s faced by many is to focus on people\u2019s abilities, rather than limitations. We as humans are all differently<\/span>–<\/span>abled from one another; when our perceptions and attitudes change, our actions follow. Every step toward a more accepting and inclusive world is a step toward a better world for everyone in it. Organizations such as Gi<\/span>G<\/span>i\u2019s Playhouse NYC have helped create a more equitable and accepting world, and I am proud to be part of such a great community.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

What does\u00a0<\/span><\/i><\/b>GiGi\u2019s<\/span><\/i><\/b>\u00a0NYC mean to you?<\/span><\/i><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

It\u2019s hard to verbalize what\u00a0<\/span>Gi<\/span>G<\/span>i\u2019s<\/span>\u00a0NYC means to me, but when I think of Gi<\/span>G<\/span>i\u2019s NYC, I think \u2013 community. I really cherish being part of this family.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

W<\/span><\/i><\/b>hat<\/span><\/i><\/b>\u00a0do you do as a volunteer?<\/span><\/i><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

I am a member of the Associate Board and a Program Monitor for the Gratitude Art Committee on Wednesdays \u2013 I really enjoy making art with the talented artists every week!<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

What is the best part about volunteering with\u00a0<\/span><\/i><\/b>GiGi\u2019s<\/span><\/i><\/b>\u00a0NYC?<\/span><\/i><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

I\u2019ve really enjoyed creating some great art with even greater artists. As the weeks have gone by, I\u2019ve enjoyed getting to know all the participants better \u2013 our Wednesday art sessions are a highlight of my week, every week!<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

How do you enjoy spending your free time?<\/span><\/i><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

I really enjoy spending time with my family and friends, making art, playing the ukulele, and going on adventures around the world!<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

What do you look forward to doing at the Playhouse once we can safely gather there again?<\/span><\/i><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

I am looking forward to getting creative and making art in-person with everyone once we can safely gather at the Playhouse again!<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Puja, thank you for your inspiring and kind words! We are so privileged to have you as a part of our community! You bring smiles to the faces of our Gratitude Artists each week,\u00a0<\/span>and are an incredibly valuable and reliable member of the Associate Board. Thank you for the generosity you show to GiGi\u2019s NYC! <\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Today, we would like to spotlight the incredible GiGi\u2019s\u00a0Playhouse NYC volunteer\u00a0and Associate Board Member, Puja Thomas.\u00a0Puja\u2019s warmth and kindness are contagious. We encourage our adult community to RSVP for Gratitude Art Committee on Wednesdays at 11AM EST to say hello to Puja and make some incredible art!\u00a0We hope you enjoy getting to know Puja through…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":288,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9,1082],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-455980","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news","category-volunteer-spotlight"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/gigisplayhouse.org\/newyork\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/455980","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/gigisplayhouse.org\/newyork\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/gigisplayhouse.org\/newyork\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gigisplayhouse.org\/newyork\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/288"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gigisplayhouse.org\/newyork\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=455980"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/gigisplayhouse.org\/newyork\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/455980\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/gigisplayhouse.org\/newyork\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=455980"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gigisplayhouse.org\/newyork\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=455980"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gigisplayhouse.org\/newyork\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=455980"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}